Here the task of the agitation and propaganda departments is brought to the forefront of the struggle. The fundamental question, from the standpoint of the New Economic Policy, consists in being able as quickly as possible to take advantage of the situation that has arisen.

The New Economic Policy signifies the replacement of requisitions by a tax, signifies a transition to the restoration of capitalism to a considerable degree. To what degree—we do not know. Concessions to foreign capitalists (though admittedly very few have been concluded thus far, especially in comparison with the proposals we made), the leasing of operations to private capitalists—this is direct restoration of capitalism and this is bound up with the roots of the New Economic Policy. For the abolition of requisitions means for the peasants free trade in agricultural surpluses not taken by the tax, while the tax takes only a small portion of the products. The peasants constitute a gigantic part of the entire population and the entire economy, and therefore on the basis of this free trade capitalism cannot but grow.

This is the most basic economic primer, taught in the rudiments of economic science, and with us, moreover, taught by every bagman—a creature very well acquainted with economics, independently of economic and political science. And the fundamental question consists, from the standpoint of strategy, in this: who will be quicker to take advantage of this new situation? The whole question is: which way will the peasantry go—with the proletariat, striving to build a socialist society, or with the capitalist, who says: "Let us turn back, it is safer that way, rather than invent some sort of socialism"?